Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) Program

Share

Launched in 2013, AMTech was a competitive grants program intended to establish new or strengthen existing industry-driven consortia that address high-priority research challenges impeding the growth of advanced manufacturing in the United States. The AMTech program funded broad participation across the value-chain including companies of all sizes, universities and government agencies.

Through competitive planning grants, AMTech incentivized the formation and strengthening of industry-driven technology consortia in areas of national importance in advanced manufacturing. Activities supported by Planning Awards included detailed technology roadmaps of critical advanced manufacturing technologies and associated long-term industrial research challenges.

On May 7, 2015 the second set of AMTech awards was announced. These sixteen (16) Planning Awards, totaling $7.8 million, identify critical gaps in advanced manufacturing technology infrastructure, and will create industry-driven technology roadmaps. They will establish and support industry-driven consortia in developing research plans and charting collaborative actions to solve high-priority technology challenges and to accelerate the growth of advanced manufacturing in the United States.

As of January 2016, AMTech activities have been merged into the Manufacturing USA Program. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (H.R. 2029) states that the Act "merges the activities of the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) into NNMI." The implications of the merger are that no further AMTech awards are planned at this time.

Initially, the AMTech and Manufacturing USA programs were separate but complementary, both administered within the NIST Office of Advanced Manufacturing.

Technology roadmaps and related AMTech-enabled outputs help guide pre-competitive, infrastructural research. Numerous technology roadmaps resulted from these awards and are available on the project briefs' pages. Many of the Manufacturing USA institutes made or will make use of AmTech roadmaps in determining which R&D projects to pursue.

There are no competitions currently planned for 2016 or later under the AMTech program. Decisions regarding possible future competitions will be posted here.